A Shepherd (導師 Doushi?, "Monk") is a human contracted to a Prime Lord in Tales of Zestiria, capable of purifying malevolence at its roots, and, by extension, hellions and daemons.
Description[]
The Shepherd's goal is to guide humanity, purify malevolence, and defeat the Lord of Calamity. This feat is only possible by forming a pact, known as a “wedding,”[1] with a Prime Lord, whether seraph or malak, who then bestows the power of purification upon their Shepherd, as well as marking the Shepherd's hand with the Shepherd's crest.
In order to become a Shepherd, one must be open to the seraphim and possess an understanding heart, as well as have a sufficient amount of resonance.
Shepherds, by nature, must contend with loneliness and the risk of falling to malevolence themselves. A Shepherd's ability to wield the great power of the seraphim sets them apart from other humans, risking public rejection, and they are advised against involving themself in human affairs, such as politics, lest society becomes dependent upon the Shepherd's intervention or otherwise misuse their power. With the exception of the blood relatives they were born to, a Shepherd is also forbidden from having a family, which can lead to pushing others away. In the event that a Shepherd should become a hellion through their loneliness, the consequences would be far more dire than the creation of any other hellion or dragon.
A Shepherd is capable of taking Squires, human companions who assist their mission. By forming a Squire pact, the Shepherd bestows a True Name upon their ally and shares their powers of purification. Should the Squire lack sufficient resonance, however, the pact will be damaging to the Shepherd who must support them; resulting in a loss of vision and extreme exhaustion. The Shepherd can also gain support from seraphim, who may choose to accompany them as Sub Lords. Sub Lords serve as attendants to the Prime Lord, receiving their powers of purification in turn, and lend their powers directly to the Shepherd. When forming a Sub-Lord pact, the seraph shares their True Name with the Shepherd. How many Sub-Lords a Shepherd can possess is dependent upon their skills, three being remarkable.
A Shepherd can achieve their ultimate form, the armatus, by unifying with their Prime Lord or a Sub Lord, allowing them to wield the seraph's powers as their own. For this, the seraph's sacred vessel is needed, and the Shepherd must recite the True Name of their companion.
In Tales of Zestiria the X, Shepherds take the malevolence they purify into their own bodies, the strain of which can be mitigated by sharing this burden with his Squires. Shepherds can also choose to see a hellion's human form, and, upon purifying them, receives a portion of their memories. A Shepherd's life is also linked directly to that of their Squire's, resulting in the Squire's death should the Shepherd fall.
List of Shepherds[]
- Claudin Asgard - The king who ended the Era of Darkness. He is referenced in Tales of Zestiria as having been a Shepherd. In Tales of Berseria, he is only mentioned to have been an Exorcist, as well as Artorius' mentor.
- Artorius Collbrande - Known to be one of the first Shepherds, as well as a hero in a distant era prior to the events of Tales of Zestiria. He is the main antagonist of Tales of Berseria, where he wishes to purge the world of malevolence by stripping humanity of all emotion.
- Asura - A former Shepherd from an unspecified time period. He possessed a sword forged with mythril that was infused with the power to cleave malevolence. After he became a hellion, his sword was taken by his seraph companion, Altul (アウトル Autoru?). He resides in Lefay, the Water Shrine.
- Pawan (パワント Pawanto?) - A former Shepherd, contracted to Lailah during an unspecified time period. He was known for purifying over 10,000 hellions, and became a seraph upon death. He guards Morgause, the Earth Shrine, and is a Protector seraph.[2]
- Ekseo (エクセオ Ekuseo?) - The Shepherd of an unknown era. After his death, he was reborn as a seraph. He now serves as a Protector seraph and guardian of Igraine, the Fire Shrine.
- Wardell (ワーデル Waaderu?) - One of the previous Shepherds, reborn as a seraph after his passing. He guards Guinevere, the Wind Shrine, and serves as a Protector seraph.
- Michael - The Shepherd prior to Sorey, who died seventeen years before the game's events. He is the author of the Celestial Record, and the founder of Camlann, the Origin Village.
- Sorey - The Shepherd during the Age of Chaos and the protagonist of Tales of Zestiria. Initially a human with high enough resonance to see the seraphim, Sorey becomes the Shepherd through contracting with Lailah by taking up the Sacred Blade.
- Rose - Initially Sorey's Squire, Rose takes the mantle of the Shepherd by contracting with Lailah and makes Alisha Diphda her Squire three months after the Age of Chaos in the post-game DLC titled "Alisha's Story".
Trivia[]
- Ironically, two Lords of Calamity, Heldalf and Velvet Crowe, were created by the actions of a Shepherd of their respective age. Heldalf was cursed into eternal solitude by Michael, and Artorius sacrificed Velvet's brother, Laphicet Crowe, which turned her into a vengeful therion.
- In an era prior to Tales of Zestiria, many Shepherds existed at the same time.
- Prior to the Era of Maotelus, Shepherds did not deal with the threat of hellions and malevolence.[3]
References[]